A message from UBC’s New President, Professor Arvind Gupta

July 1, 2014

Dear colleagues and friends,

I am delighted to assume my role today as President of the University of British Columbia. I look forward to working with our community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as the many friends of UBC across Canada and around the world.

Leading our university is an honour and a privilege. It is a challenge I take seriously and embrace wholeheartedly. I am committed to working collaboratively with all of you in our quest to uphold UBC’s mission of academic excellence in learning, teaching, discovery and research. I am determined to facilitate your efforts in creating an environment that is inclusive, respectful, and mutually supportive, while celebrating your achievements and propagating your successes.

There are exciting opportunities and stimulating challenges in front of us. To meet these, we will continue to focus on driving towards a leadership role on the world stage in all aspects of postsecondary education and advanced research. UBC is uniquely positioned to play a critical role in building a rich social, cultural, and economic fabric for our communities, local and global. Our ideals, values, and shared sense of purpose unite us and I relish the opportunity to facilitate UBC achieving these mandates.

To all of those who have been so generous with their time over the past few months, please know how greatly I value your thoughts and ideas on where UBC stands today and expectations for its future. I look forward to continuing these discussions with our entire community.

I know that I speak for all of you in extending my deepest gratitude to Professor Stephen Toope for his tremendous contributions to our university over the past eight years.

September 12 marks the President’s installation ceremony and I hope to see many of you there. Stay tuned for more information at http://www.ubc.ca/newpresident/
Warm regards,